An easy, healthier pasta dinner: Cheesy Beef and Pasta Casserole
My husband just about flipped when I served this for dinner the other night… and not in a good way! He has been eating light, and he’s been trying his hardest to avoid eating an overload of carbs. We’re pretty much carboholics around my house.
I did my best to change his thinking. I explained that it was a lightened up recipe in the first place, there’s a good bunch of ZUCCHINI in it, and I’d be serving a very large side salad to go with a smallish portion of pasta. He eyed me suspiciously, but eventually he gave in to the carb craving.
Eating pasta, you see, can be manageable for a diet. Just wait until the NEXT day before you go back for seconds 🙂 And, if you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Cheesy Beef and Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large zucchini, chopped
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ pound lean ground beef (7% fat or less)
- 4 cups cooked whole wheat penne (about 2¼ cups dry)
- 2 cups low fat marinara sauce (2g fat or less)
- 1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini, garlic and red pepper flakes, cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the beef to the pan and cook, breaking it apart with a spatula, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any accumulated oil and discard.
- Add the cooked vegetables, penne and sauce to the pan and mix to combine. Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle fresh basil on top and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here are a few more pasta casserole recipes you might enjoy:
- Enchilada Pasta Casserole by Table for Two
- Chicken Spaghetti Casserole by RecipeGirl
- Greek Pasta Casserole by Chef in Training
- Creamy Tomato Pasta Casserole by Cook, Crave Inspire
You don’t cook the pasta before mixing everything together?
Thanks!
Yes– the list of ingredients calls for cooked pasta 🙂
Tried this for dinner last night and it was great. Cooked the zucchini lightly so it would still have a little crunch.
This sounds great! As a matter of fact I shared it on my blog as my Recipe of the Week – completely attributed to you of course. (I hope you don’t mind.) Being a vegetarian, I’m going to try it with one of the veggie “beef” crumbles.
This recipe is easy and healthy, a great way to incorporate those zucchinis readily available in the fall.
Your husband sounds like mine! He always gives me “the look” when pasta on the menu. But with 2 small kids you can’t never serve pasta cause they love it! I like the zucchini so much in here! And I serve a big salad too to fill me up with good fibers. But life without pasta just ain’t worth living!!!! I can’t wait to make this.